China: Taiwan Vote Pushes Ties to Brink of Danger

China warned Taiwan on Monday that its planned March referendum would push bilateral ties to the “brink of danger,” even though the island has watered down the wording of the proposition to be put to voters. The referendum, scheduled to be held alongside presidential elections on March 20, would “increase tension in cross-Strait relations and push cross-Strait relations step by step to the brink of danger,” State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan said. “This kind of provocative action will only stir up antagonism and hostility,” Tang said in a speech, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters. Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian diluted the referendum proposition last week in an apparent bid to appease Washington, which had warned against either side changing the status quo. China sees the referendum as a move toward independence. Full Story

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